If you’re planning a visit to Disneyland, then getting your day off to the right start is the first step in a perfect visit to the Happiest Place on Earth. In this post, we’ll discuss Disneyland rope drop—how to start your day at the park. We’ll cover everything from when to arrive to what rides to start with to how Lightning Lanes impact your strategy. Got Early Entry? We’ve got you covered, too. Read on to learn all about rope drop at Disneyland!
About this Post and Related Posts
In this post we discuss rope drop—the first few hours of your day, from waking up to arriving at the park to riding your first few rides—at Disneyland park. This post does not cover the other park at Disneyland Resort, Disney California Adventure. This post includes a section for guests with Early Entry, but the bulk of the post is about options without (or after) Early Entry.
If you’re looking to put together the perfect day at Disneyland, we have a Disneyland One Day Itinerary post that talks through your options for doing that. We have a Guide to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Disneyland, too. We recommend buying Genie+ for at least one day of your visit to the resort, and your Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy will impact your rope drop strategy.
Keep in mind that your rope drop options might be impacted by height requirements, so be sure to read up on Disneyland Height Requirements and Rider Swap. And if you’re new to learning about the park and need to know more about the rides before picking which to start with, we have a Disneyland Rides Guide and Ranking post.
Basics of Rope Drop at Disneyland
Let’s start with some basic information before diving into the more complex aspects of strategy.
What is “rope drop”?
The beginning of the day at a theme park can be the most important part of the day. Crowds will be near their lowest, and if you arrive early enough you can be among the first people on basically any ride in the park.
Rope drop basically refers to how you start your day at a theme park. If the park opens at, say, 8AM, you shouldn’t plan to just arrive at 8AM, see the gates open, and walk onto whichever ride you want to start at.
Rather, you’ll probably want to arrive earlier than opening time to get ahead of the crowds. The park gate might open before the scheduled opening time…but you still won’t have access to the entire park. You’ll want to know what ride you’re going to start with and where the guests going to that ride are being corralled.
“Rope drop” is all of this—picking your first ride and knowing when to arrive and where to go. And sometimes it includes the next steps too—which rides to go to second, third, and so on.
If you have Genie+, you’ll want to know which ride to make your first Lightning Lane pick, too. If you have Early Entry, you’ll need to know how your strategy will differ from guests without Early Entry.
What is Early Entry at Disneyland?
Early Entry is a perk available only to guests staying at one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels—Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel (transforming to Pixar Place Hotel). Early Entry grants these guests access to select attractions at the parks for an extra 30 minutes in the morning, every morning, before scheduled park open. (Note: Beginning January 20, 2024, the perk will be available at only one park each morning.)
You can see the list of included attractions here, but at Disneyland park it basically includes Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
What time should I get to Disneyland?
We recommend that guests with Early Entry plan to arrive at the park gates 15 minutes before the start of Early Entry. We recommend guests without Early Entry plan to arrive at the park gates 30 minutes before scheduled park open. Keep in mind you’ll need to account for parking and security time, too.
On busier days, you might arrive even earlier, but at some point you have to be pragmatic. If the park is open from 8AM to 11PM, for example, you want to make sure you get enough sleep to take advantage of those late evening hours, too.
Note: January 20, 2024 Changes
Beginning January 20, 2024 Early Entry will be reduced to one park each day. This has two major impacts. First, guests of the Disneyland hotels will probably want to be deliberate and start their mornings at the park that has Early Entry. For these guests, not much changes. Guests who aren’t staying at the Disneyland hotels will, conversely, want to start at the park that doesn’t have Early Entry. At Disneyland, this means all guests will be able to start with Peter Pan’s Flight on days that park doesn’t have Early Entry. We’ll rebuild this post around that date to reflect the change.
Early Entry at Disneyland
Again, Early Entry is a perk available only to guests of the three Disneyland Resort hotels. If you don’t have access to Early Entry, you’ll be allowed into the park at the same time as these guests, but you’ll be held in the hub during Early Entry. If you don’t have Early Entry, feel free to move onto the next section “Disneyland Rope Drop Options.”
While Early Entry at Disneyland includes over ten rides, we think this perk is all about one ride in particular—Peter Pan’s Flight. Peter Pan’s Flight is one of the most popular rides in the park, and it does not have a Lightning Lane. This means that even if you buy Genie+ you’ll have to find some time in the day to get in line for Peter Pan’s Flight. It makes most sense to do that in the morning.
Once the park gates open, guests with Early Entry can go down Main Street and take a hard right at the end. There you’ll see Cast Members scanning room keys to confirm you have access to Early Entry. After that, you’ll be held in an area separate from the guests without Early Entry (who are allowed into the park at this time, but not into any of the lands).
Once Early Entry starts, you’ll be released to head into Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. If you’re starting with Peter Pan’s Flight, your route is easy—go through the castle and Peter Pan’s Flight is the first ride on the right.
On a perfect day, you’d be off Peter Pan’s Flight in time to get another ride or two done before the park opens to other guests. On a typical day you’ll probably be off the ride before the park opens to other guests but maybe not super confident in squeezing another ride in. If your morning is a little slow, you’ll be off sometime after the parks opens to everyone else, but you can still be happy to be done with Peter Pan’s Flight.
We discuss two main rope drop strategies below—Fantasyland and Rise of the Resistance, along with a third “other rope drops” that includes Runaway Railway, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Space Mountain). After Peter Pan’s Flight, you’ll want to just pick one of these strategies for the next part of your day (and you can read more about them below).
If you opt to stick with Fantasyland, then it doesn’t really matter when you’re off Peter Pan’s Flight—you just keep going through the Fantasyland rides.
If you’re aiming for Rise of the Resistance, Runaway Railway, or something else you’ll need to be off Peter Pan’s Flight before the park opens to other guests. You may or may not have time for another ride. Personally I usually feel like unless you’re one of the first people on Peter Pan’s Flight you should probably be happy with the one ride during Early Entry and instead make your way to your next rope drop ride.
If you’re heading toward Rise of the Resistance, you’ll join the group waiting over by the Casey Jr. Train (above). Once the park opens to all guests, Cast Members will let you head to Rise of the Resistance. Look at the map and you’ll see there are two opportunities to turn right into Galaxy’s Edge. Technically taking the second right is shorter, but I don’t think it’s a huge difference.
If you’re heading toward Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, you’ll head toward the entrance to Toontown, where Cast Members will hold you until the park opens to all guests.
If you’re heading anywhere else, you might need to go back to the hub for the most direct route to the ride.
Disneyland Rope Drop Options
Of course you can rope drop any ride in the park (except in the rare cases where a ride opens later than the park), but the point of your rope drop strategy is to take advantage of low morning crowds to save time later in the day.
Importantly, rope drop strategy is only one part of your overall strategy for the day, and you can’t think about it without keeping the rest of your plans in mind. In particular, there are two big factors that will determine how you spend rope drop, your priorities and your Lightning Lane strategy.
Minding your priorities does not mean you have to visit the ride that is most important to you to start the day (though you might decide to do that). It’s a more general idea that you’re working with a limited amount of time and you need to understand that different strategies have different costs and benefits.
As for Lightning Lane strategy, well, don’t rope drop a ride you’re buying an Individual Lightning Lane for. Probably don’t rope drop a ride that’s on Genie+ if you have Genie+, unless you really want to ride it twice (or maybe you’re park hopping and won’t fit every Genie+ ride at Disneyland into your morning).
If you’re familiar with Walt Disney World, you should know that planning your rope drop is much different in Disneyland. And whether you’re familiar with Disney World or not, you should know the two big reasons for this difference.
First, most rides at Disneyland don’t have Lightning Lanes. This means that morning time when waits are low is even more important because once waits creep up on a lot of rides you either wait in line or you don’t ride.
Second, Disneyland has a high concentration of short rides with short morning waits that don’t have Lightning Lanes. These are basically the “kiddie” rides in Fantasyland, plus a few in Tomorrowland. Because you can quickly hop from one to another to another to another while waits are still low, you’re able to finish a big chunk of the rides without Lightning Lanes early in the day, if you so choose (and this winds up being our go-to recommendation).
There is one big similarity with Walt Disney World, though, and that’s Individual Lightning Lanes. There is one ride at Disneyland park that has an Individual Lightning Lane available for separate purchase and not a part of Genie+. This is Rise of the Resistance. Since this is a popular ride, it’s also a viable candidate for rope drop.
All of this boils down to three options for rope drop at Disneyland that we’re going to discuss. I’m going to quickly list them here. Then I’ll open each specific section with an explanation of who the rope drop makes sense for and why we like it. If you decide it’s not for you, move onto another option. The three rope drop strategies we’ll be discussing here are:
Fantasyland Rope Drop
Rise of the Resistance Rope Drop
All Other Rope Drops
One More Thing… (Post-Rope Drop)
2024 Note: This section talks about that we keep our eyes on Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise wait times in the morning and try and get to those rides before waits go up. Through an unspecified date, Pirates of the Caribbean is on Genie+. If you have Genie+, you could accordingly de-prioritize getting to that ride.
Before we get to the specific rope drop strategies, I want to add a quick note about what we’re hoping to do immediately after rope drop. It’s important to know this because when you’re actually in the park you’ll need to know when to squeeze in one more ride or when to move onto the next step.
Generally, the second step in our day is heading to Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise on the west side of the park sometime in the middle of the morning. These two rides are not on Genie+, so it’s important to get on them before their waits increase. (Of course, if they’re low priority for you, just ignore me on this point.)
Figuring out exactly when to do this is tough (and on busy days the rides will have high waits immediately), but a good place to start is on the Jungle Cruise Thrill Data page and the Pirates of the Caribbean Thrill Data page. You can look at past dates to see how wait times are trending.
Disneyland Fantasyland Rope Drop
We’ll start with our preferred rope drop—the Fantasyland rope drop. I want to immediately say this rope drop works best if you have Genie+, and if you’re reading this post…I really recommend you get Genie+. You don’t read 1000s of words about as niche a topic as rope drop strategy unless you really care about planning a great day at Disneyland, and that task is made much easier with Genie+.
If you really don’t want to get Genie+, or if your Genie+ strategy is going to be split between the two parks (i.e. you’re park hopping), then you’ll basically want to consider all of the rope drops discussed in this post to see which one targets the rides you’re interested in.
Beyond that, this rope drop is particularly good for two groups of people. First, if your goal for the day is to “do everything”, this is the rope drop for you. Yes, it starts with mostly “kiddie” rides, but those are a part of “do everything” and we think this is the best way to start the day with that goal in mind.
If you’re fine missing out on some things (particularly the rides in Fantasyland discussed in this section) then you might prefer one of the other rope drop strategies that we discuss next.
Second, this rope drop is great for families with small children, regardless of whether you have Genie+ or are trying to do everything. You might still consider the other rope drop options discussed in this post because you might have different priorities than us, which is why we provide other good options. In particular, you might prefer the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway / Toontown rope drop, discussed more below.
Now, onto the details of this rope drop…
If you have Genie+, we recommend your first pick be Space Mountain. If you can get a time that allows you about an hour for rope drop, that’s best (i.e. if the park opens at 8AM then an 8:45AM to 9:45AM time for Space Mountain is best). Because you’ll be focusing on Fantasyland to start the day, you want a Genie+ pick that is popular and close to Fantasyland. Matterhorn is an okay alternative, too.
Entering the park, guests heading into Fantasyland will usually corral on the right side of the hub. Once the park opens, they’ll be allowed to access the park. Since we recommend starting with Alice in Wonderland (more on ride order below), we recommending heading in the direction of Matterhorn (between Matterhorn and the castle), not through the castle.
The point of the Fantasyland rope drop is to get through as many of the following rides as quickly as possible:
Alice in Wonderland
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Mad Tea Party
Astro Orbitor (Tomorrowland)
That’s the order we recommend, too. Here are some notes on this list…
Peter Pan’s Flight isn’t on that list. If you don’t have Early Entry, we don’t recommend starting with Peter Pan’s Flight. It’s not worth spending the first 20 minutes of the day in that line.
You might mix things up without Genie+. If you don’t have Genie+, you might start with a ride or two that have Lightning Lanes (that you can’t use) then come back to this list, either starting at the top or in the middle depending on waits. See “All Other Rope Drops” below. You might also head to Tomorrowland sooner (but still after a few Fantasyland rides) to squeeze in rides like Autopia, Star Tours, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
Two other Fantasyland rides don’t make this list. King Arthur Carrousel is totally fine to squeeze in while you’re nearby, but it just rarely gets significant enough waits for us to prioritize it in the morning. I’d rather run the risk of missing it or waiting 10 minutes later in the day.
Storybook Land Canal Boats isn’t a part of rope drop. Storybook Land Canal Boats is a long ride, and the wait is often longer than the morning posted wait time indicates. Once you get in line for Storybook Land Canal Boats, you’re conceding that you are done with “rope drop.” Assume that once you get in line for that ride, you’ll be exiting to higher waits across the park.
Rise of the Resistance Rope Drop
The Rise of the Resistance rope drop is straightforward. If you really want to prioritize Rise of the Resistance and you really don’t want to pay for the Individual Lightning Lane, then you can start your day with Rise of the Resistance.
If you have Genie+, you can make either Indiana Jones Adventure or Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run your first pick. I’d aim for a Lightning Lane time that starts 30 minutes after park open. Indiana Jones Adventure is more popular Lightning Lane and allows you the additional option of riding Smugglers Run via a short standby wait (if possible) or single rider (if available) immediately after Rise of the Resistance. Grabbing a Smugglers Run Lightning Lane first, though, ensures you’ll finish the two Galaxy’s Edge rides quickly, allowing you to come back to explore the rest of the land whenever you feel like it later.
Since you’re already out of your way for Rise and probably getting off Rise a bit into the morning, it’s fine to go straight to that Lightning Lane after the ride. (If you’re thinking “oh, I want to just start with Rise and then head to the Fantasyland rides you mentioned above” then my advice is just that you should be starting in Fantasyland and saving Rise for later.)
There are lots of reasons to not like the Rise of the Resistance rope drop. Rise is itself a long experience, easily taking up the first 30 minutes of your day in most cases. The rides closest to it are all on Genie+, making them less than ideal to head to second.
Rise historically has operational issues, meaning it might not be working to start the day. You’ll walk there, be told it’s closed, and then have to double back (probably to Fantasyland) behind the crowds.
Rise also has an Individual Lightning Lane that rarely sells out quickly. You’ll often have the chance to buy it even late in the day if you haven’t had the chance to fit it in yet.
Of course, all that falls by the wayside to people who care most about the fact that it is, in the eyes of most guests, the best ride in the park. If you’re a Star Wars fan, it’s probably the best theme park ride in the world.
All Other Rope Drops
This section is sort of “Disneyland Rope Drop without Genie+ (but where you also really care about some Genie+ rides).” If you have Genie+, it just doesn’t make a ton of sense to start with a ride that’s on Genie+ unless you (1) want to ride it twice or (2) have some reason to think you won’t be able to ride it with Genie+, like you’re park hopping or leaving early.
Rather than go into these in the detail above, I’m just going to briefly discuss the major options here.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runway Railway Rope Drop
This rope drop made more sense back when Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway was an Individual Lightning Lane. Now that it’s part of Genie+ (and only a middle priority ride on that service), it’ll make sense only if you don’t have Genie+ and have some reason to prefer this to the Fantasyland rope drop. We’ll discuss more of this below.
Runaway Railway is in Toontown, in the far back (north) of the park. To get there, head through Fantasyland (exact route doesn’t matter much), past Storybook Land Canal Boats in the northeast of the land. Once you see “it’s a small world”, the path to Toontown is prominent on the left, and Runaway Railway is prominently past the fountain as soon as you enter the land.
If you have Genie+, you can grab Roger Rabbit’s Car-Toon Spin with your first pick and head there right after Runaway Railway. Now you’ll have two of the Genie+ rides done (since Runaway Railway is also on Genie+).
As noted earlier if you’re a “do everything” group, kids or not, we think the Fantasyland rope drop is easily the best option. But if you have a small child and that rope drop didn’t appeal to you, this one might.
Over in Toontown you’ll be able to ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Roger Rabbit’s Car-Toon Spin, and Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster with short waits to start the day. Then you’ll probably be able to meet some combination of Mickey and Minnie with minimal wait.
You’ve also got the new playgrounds in Toontown after you’re done with the rides, and there’s even a quick service restaurant—Café Daisy—if you need snacks or coffee.
This is a great way to spend a morning with your small kid. It’s relaxing and checks several major boxes—rides, characters, coffee, playground.
But in terms of ride count it basically means three rides here instead of seven or so in Fantasyland. Of course you always can get on those Fantasyland rides later, or you could head there as soon as you’re done with the three in Toontown, but if doing everything is your goal we’ve already been clear about the approach we prefer.
Indiana Jones Adventure Rope Drop
Indiana Jones Adventure is one of the best rides in Disneyland. If you’re someone who also visits Disney World, then Indiana Jones Adventure might be at the top of your list in Disneyland since it isn’t also at Disney World. To rope drop it, you’ll line up on the left (west) side of the hub in the direction of Adventureland. Indiana Jones Adventure is on the left, after Jungle Cruise.
Assuming you don’t have Genie+, you’re probably going to head to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then Haunted Mansion. You’re also well placed to get on Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise (both not on Genie+) before those waits increase mid-morning.
Indiana Jones, Big Thunder, and Haunted Mansion are great rides and a wonderfully fun way to start the day, we just don’t feel like starting with them makes much sense if you have Genie+.
Space Mountain Rope Drop
A final option is to start with Space Mountain (enter Tomorrowland from the right side of the hub) and then probably Matterhorn. This leaves you in a nice geographic location—between Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Toontown—with flexibility for where you go next.
Again, with Genie+ this usually doesn’t make sense because these rides are both available on Genie+. Without Genie+, my opinion is that Indiana Jones—Big Thunder—Haunted Mansion is just a better set of rides than Space Mountain—Matterhorn, and we’d probably rather be close to Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise mid-morning rather than trying to figure out what to squeeze in from Fantasyland / Tomorrowland / Toontown, though this will probably come down to personal preference.
Seasonal Option: Haunted Mansion Holiday Rope Drop
Usually from sometime in September to sometime in January, Haunted Mansion receives its Nightmare Before Christmas “Haunted Mansion Holiday” overlay. This vaults the ride to one of the most popular in the park and on Genie+, making it worth considering for rope drop.
In the context of this post, I’d group Haunted Mansion Holiday with the “all other rope drop” options. It will make the most sense to rope drop it if you don’t have Genie+, but you should consider it even if you have Genie+. In any case, it’s never going to be a bad ride to rope drop.
Continuing Your Day at Disneyland
Once you’ve gotten through the first part of the day, it’s time to take a breath and start planning the rest of the day at the park. For that, we’ve got a Disneyland One Day Itinerary post.